N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:50-5.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 9, May 6, 2024

Section 3A:50-5.2 - General requirements

(a) An agency shall maintain on file and make available to its clients information on known resources in the community which may be of use to adoptive parents, birth parents, children and adult adoptees.

(b) An agency shall notify adoptive applicants in writing within five working days when the agency receives information that a country is suspending adoption services and shall not accept any additional clients for assignment of children from that country until such time that adoption services have been re-established.

(c) Before services are provided, an agency shall provide to its adult clients the following:

1. A written description of its current adoption program, including information on the agency's services, the adoption process, including the availability of subsidy for special needs children, and other major referring agencies with whom the agency works; and

2. A verbal explanation of and a written agreement with the agency, describing specific services to be provided, fees to be charged, and rights and responsibilities of both parties.

(d) An agency that plans to place a child with an out-of-State family or to receive a child from out-of-State for placement within the State of New Jersey shall notify the Office of Interstate Services of the Department and shall comply with the laws governing child placement in the other state, where applicable.

(e) An agency shall comply with the requirements of the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act ( P.L. 95-608 ) for placement of Native American children.

(f) An agency that is unable to locate an appropriate adoptive family within 60 calendar days of the date the child was legally freed for adoption shall:

1. Refer the child to the New Jersey Adoption Resource Exchange, or any successor Statewide exchange; and

2. Refer the child to an interstate or national adoption exchange.

(g) An agency may refer a child to any adoption exchange(s) earlier than is required under (f) above.

(h) An agency that has a special needs child in its care for whom the plan is adoption shall document in the child's record its efforts to develop an adoptive placement.

(i) An agency shall ensure access to its services by persons who are physically disabled or handicapped.

N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:50-5.2

Amended by R.1997 d.480, effective 11/17/1997.
See: 29 N.J.R. 3230(a), 29 N.J.R. 4857(a).
Inserted new (b); and recodified existing (b) through (h) as (c) through (i).
Amended by R.2011 d.245, effective 10/3/2011.
See: 42 N.J.R. 1965(a), 43 N.J.R. 2600(a).
In (b), substituted "Office" for "Bureau"; in (d), substituted "out-of-State" for "out-of-state" and "out of state" and "Department" for "Division", and inserted "the" preceding "regulations"; and in (g), substituted "(f)" for "(e)".
Amended by R.2016 d.052, effective 6/6/2016.
See: 47 N.J.R. 3078(a), 48 N.J.R. 103(a), 48 N.J.R. 965(a).
In (b), deleted "and the Office of Licensing" following "applicants"; in the introductory paragraph of (c), substituted "provide" for "make available"; and in (d), inserted "Office of", deleted "Units" following "Services", and substituted "laws" for "regulations".